Chapter 267: Keeping the Appointment

After Wu Qingzhao stirred them up, everyone in the Shanhe Office became impassioned and rushed out in a swarm to find clues.

Of course, the commotion inside the yamen could not be hidden from Miao Yu.

Miao Yu was very satisfied.

The clerks of the Zhan Cheng Office were all occupying their posts without doing any work, with no ambition whatsoever.

Now, with a slight trick of his own, he had mobilized them all.

"Truly a brilliant move!"

Miao Yu's genuine affection for talent in Xu Yuan was real; using this matter to put some pressure on his subordinates was also a result he had anticipated.

Miao Yu then sat calmly in the yamen, waiting for his evening meeting with Xu Yuan.

Xu Yuan did not go on to press Zhang Laoya; Lord Xu judged that although Zhang Laoya was blinded by greed, he felt guilt toward those three sisters, and after some inner turmoil, he would most likely find a way to notify them.

Xu Yuan continued to learn the alchemical cultivation method from Wang Shen inside the yamen.

During lunch, Xu Yuan observed secretly and noticed Zhang Laoya was somewhat absent-minded, so he chuckled inwardly.

After the meal, Xu Yuan called Zhou Leizi over, took one seed in advance from that bag of seeds, and placed it on the table.

"Look at this thing."

As soon as Zhou Leizi took it, his expression changed: "My lord, this is 'Soul-Devouring Bean', a seventh-rank level; I cannot cultivate it yet."

Zhou Leizi had also gone to Zhou Family Market and recalled, "Is this the thing that grew out of Fu Chongjiu's ear?"

Xu Yuan nodded: "I award it to you; take it and study it well, striving to reach eighth rank as soon as possible."

"Thank you, my lord!" Zhou Leizi was overjoyed, carefully put the seed away, and added, "My lord, the Soul-Devouring Bean uses souls as nourishment.

Fu Chongjiu's method that day actually carried risk.

Planting this thing in one's own body can indeed stabilize and secure one's soul for a short time, but if it exceeds two double-hours, this thing cannot be pulled out!

It will dig deep into the soul and grow by sucking the soul."

Xu Yuan was also secretly startled inside; fortunately, he had awarded Zhou Leizi one, otherwise he would not have learned of this drawback of the thing.

Zhou Leizi also guessed that the lord had more than just this one in hand, so he offered the reminder.

"Very well, you may go down."

But Zhou Leizi put on a smiling face and said carefully, "My lord, this humble one would like to request leave tomorrow."

"Something at home?"

"No, this humble one is a lone wolf; it is... hehe, last time at Yu Well Village, this humble one scattered some seeds and wants to see how they are growing."

Xu Yuan patted his forehead and remembered.

The jiao drove everyone out of its belly, and they landed in that valley.

Zhou Leizi felt the ground was full of good fertilizer, so he scattered a handful of seeds.

"Approved; go quickly and return quickly."

"Hehe, thank you, my lord."

Zhou Leizi trotted away happily.

By mid-afternoon, Di Youzhi arrived.

A wooden board was still bound to his arm; he would need at least another month to recover.

"My lord, this subordinate has a request."

"You want to request leave too?"

Di Youzhi was stunned; Xu Yuan then told him about Zhou Leizi's matter. Di Youzhi scolded his subordinate with a laugh, then shook his head and said, "Although this subordinate has lost an arm, I can still attend duty. This subordinate wishes... to ask the lord for help in selecting some fine weapons from the yamen's treasury."

Di Youzhi's golden pellet had been split apart by Fu Chongjiu.

Although the two halves of the golden pellet were retrieved later, they still needed to be re-fed and refined.

This required feeding in some good metals again.

"Moreover, this subordinate feels he is about to reach seventh rank and needs to prepare in advance to shape the golden pellet into a sword pellet, but weapons of fine steel quality are too expensive, hehe..."

Xu Yuan smiled: "About to reach seventh rank? That's good news."

"There are only some signs," Di Youzhi said, "I estimate it will still take a year and a half or so; this subordinate is preparing early."

"Good, go to the office and find Inspector Shi; ask him to take you to the treasury—remember to treat Inspector Shi to a drink."

"Alright," Di Youzhi said with a grin, "this subordinate will go right now."

With Xu Yuan's words, Inspector Shi would certainly help.

The price of weapons is actually not low.

A good blade costs seven or eight taels of silver; swords are even more expensive.

This time, Di Youzhi's feeding would require at least twenty blades, nearly two hundred taels of silver; Di Youzhi felt the pain in his flesh.

Moreover, the yamen treasury has a large quantity of weapons idle and unused.

Just like those firearms.

It is truly a kind of waste.

After Di Youzhi left, Xu Yuan checked the time and prepared to set off to keep Miao Yu's appointment.

Before leaving, Xu Yuan quietly instructed Wang Shen to keep an eye on Zhang Laoya in secret.

Speaking of it, the owner of this "White Moon Pavilion" is an acquaintance, namely that Bai Hu.

The Huang Ming dynasty of course explicitly prohibited officials from consorting with courtesans.

But several hundred years ago, this regulation existed in name only.

Miao Yu very much liked Bai Hu's style of "elegant and clean, pretending to resist while actually welcoming."

During this period, he had been Bai Hu's biggest patron.

Xu Yuan brought no one else and went to White Moon Pavilion alone.

After knocking on the door ring, the same little maid came to open the door.

As soon as she saw him, the little maid's face changed several times, muttering to herself: "Oh no, two patrons have collided..."

Xu Yuan's face darkened; this official had never spent silver on your family's great-grandmother; that was Fu Jingyu, okay?

"This official is a guest of Master Miao today."

The little maid immediately breathed a sigh of relief: "Oh, oh, oh, please come in quickly."

Her mouth was very quick: "Master Miao only said there would be a guest today, but did not say it was you."

"Being an official is truly good; all the people one knows are rich."

Xu Yuan was at a loss between laughter and tears.

Following the little maid inside to the side of the rockery, suddenly his nose twitched.

He smelled some familiar scent.

Although very faint, it could not escape the nose of a Rank Dan Xiu.

Xu Yuan stopped; the little maid turned around: "My lord, why have you stopped? Master Miao and my Miss are both waiting for you."

Xu Yuan looked around, staring behind the rockery: "Come out."

The fox sisters walked out with tear-stained faces.

How could they still not escape?

This fellow actually came to the door himself!

Xu Yuan then smiled: "What? Are all foxes under heaven one family?"

The foxes My Lord knows actually all come from the same litter.

"We..." The two foxes were, of course, in human form at this moment; in fact, before Miao Yu arrived, they had been playing in the rockery's water pool.

Just like in Plum Blossom Pool.

The two sisters exchanged a resigned glance; the elder sister spoke with a stiff face: "Grandpa sent us; we did no evil after arriving in the city."

"Yes, yes, yes." The younger sister nodded like a chick pecking rice.

Her chest trembled unsteadily.

Fortunately, Song Lu did not follow today; otherwise, she would have been too ashamed to show her face.

"We went to find you several times, but you were in the yamen, and we could not enter."

"We even went last night..."

Xu Yuan made an "Hmm" sound: "Last night?"

The elder sister urgently tugged the younger sister in secret.

But Xu Yuan had already walked over and asked in a low voice: "Did you see those things?"

Xu Yuan was merely bluffing.

Anyway, I did not say what "things" they were.

But the two sisters' faces turned pale, and they nodded cautiously.

Xu Yuan was overjoyed in his heart, but asked with an unreadable expression: "Did you remember their scent? Can you find them?"

A fox's nose is far more sensitive than this Rank Dan Xiu's.

"N-no, didn't remember." The younger sister stuttered as soon as she lied.

The elder sister was furious; if you can't lie, don't speak, let me handle it.

Xu Yuan snorted coldly: "Tomorrow this official will come again; take me to find them."

Then, giving them no chance to refuse, he turned and left.

The two sisters slumped by the pool, crying: Meeting this person indeed brings no good fortune!

Those three great elders, are we two little ones capable of provoking them?

(End of this chapter)